Five Killed In Burning City Rowhouse; Victims Identified

Five Killed In Burning City Rowhouse; Victims Identified

Rowhome on the 5600 block of Denwood Avenue in Baltimore where five people died (Photo provided by the Baltimore City Fire Department)

Chief Kevin Cartwright, spokesman for the Baltimore City Fire Department describes what happened. Download This File

Sharron Fenner lost her mother, infant grandson and three other relatives in the fire. She talks about that loss. Download This File

Firefighters were cleaning up the scene at around 7 a.m. (Photo by WBAL's Robert Lang)

Barbara Hopkins lost her daughter-in-law and four great grandchildren in the fire. Download This File

Members of the family who lived in the burned out house speak to officials of the American Red Cross. (Photo by WBAL's Robert Lang)

Five people were killed in a rowhouse fire in East Baltimore early this morning.

The fire occurred at around 2 a.m. in the 5600-block of Denwood Avenue.

Four of the victims were children. Family members said the children were ages 1, 3, 5 and 7 years old.

One person had to jump from a second story window to escape the flames. That man is in critical condition at Bayview. Family members said a baby was thrown to safety from a window.

The adult who died was reported to be a 53 year old grandmother. There were ten people in all in the building, according to Kevin Cartwright with the fire department.

Sharron Fenner told WBAL News that her mother, Nancy Worrell, is among the dead, along with her 1-year-old grandson. Fenner also lost two nephews and one niece in the fire.

Fenner identifies the man who jumped out of the window as her step-father William Worrell.

Fenner described her mother as someone who often watched her grandchildren as well as the children of neighbors.

"She opened her house to anybody. Anybody who came into her house she said 'I love you.' I miss my Mom," Fenner told reporters.

After sunrise, William Worrell's mother, Barbara Hopkins, looked over the fire scene.

"It's devastating, and it's heart breaking to lose so many family members," Hopkins told WBAL News.

One firefighter fell through the second floor into the basement of the home on Denwood Avenue and was rushed to Bayview.

He is in stable condition according to a fire department spokesman.

Chief Kevin Cartwright, spokesman for the fire department said it is not clear how the fire started.

Detectives are going through what's left of the home to find the cause.

Cartwright said the home did have smoke detectors, but he was not sure if they were working.

The first alarm sounded just after 2 and it took almost two hours to bring flames under control.

And, earlier today, a basement fire at another location sent two firefighters to the hospital with bad burns.

That fire was reported just after 1 a.m. on the 14-hundred block of Bonsal Street.

One officer is in serious condition at Bayview. The other firefighter was also burned.

Concerns About Fire Company Closings Raised

Hours after today's fire, the president of one of the city firefighter unions held a news conference to raise questions about the response time of firefighters to today's fire, in the wake of a decision to close two fire companies earlier this year, due to budget cuts.

Earlier this month, Mayor Stpehanie Rawlings-Blake announced one of the companies that was going to close would be kept open, thanks to the city receiving overdue tax money from the Baltimore Grand Prix.

At the news conference, Rick Hoffman, president of Firefighters Local 734, issued the following statement:

"First off, my heartfelt condolences to the family that lost loved ones today in one of the early morning fires. Our prayers go out to the injured firefighters and their families as well. I don't want to use this to get on a soapbox and beat the same drum. Nor do I want to play God and pretend to have a crystal ball to have the ability to see the future and say the companies that were shut down would have had a better outcome this morning. What I believe is a non-arguable point is that the Baltimore City Fire Department is doing a lot more with fewer resources and is spread too thin. But Baltimore can rest assured the men and women of this department are here to proudly serve."

Cartwright told WBAL News firefighters were at the scene of the Denwood Avenue within five minutes of receiving the call.

Mayor Rawlings-Blake issued the following statement:

"I was deeply saddened to learn of the tragic, fatal fire on Denwood Avenue in northeast Baltimore early this morning. The surviving family members have experienced an unspeakable catastrophe, and our entire community must support them during this very difficult time. I ask all the citizens of Baltimore, especially neighbors in the Frankford community, to pray for the victims and keep the family in their thoughts. They will need our continued care and assistance as they mourn the loss of their loved ones.

City response workers, including Baltimore Housing, the MayorÆs Office of Emergency Management, and the MayorÆs Office of Neighborhoods are on the scene, along with the American Red Cross, working to provide needed services to the family while fire investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire.

Fire Chief Jim Clack and I are enormously proud of the heroic efforts of our firefighters, who responded to the scene within minutes and rushed into the blaze to do everything possible to reduce the loss of life. Two of our firefighters were injured while attempting to rescue victims inside. In addition, earlier, at a separate fire on Bonsal Street, three firefighters were also injuredùone seriously burned. Our prayers are with all of them as they are treated and begin to recover.

As a city, we must continue to be vigilant in our efforts to prevent fatal fires by ensuring that every home in Baltimore has working smoke alarms. If you, your relative, or a neighbor is in need of free smoke alarms, please call 311 today."